“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”
— Virginia Woolf

Of all of the things a man will do, eating is a high priority. To some men, eating just a simple way to gain sustenance, to survive; but to the more evolved man, eating can bring great pleasure and can be a key to finding and winning the perfect mate.

Yes, to live well, one must first eat well. Recently the pages of this magazine waxed poetic on the finer points of pizza—a noble food indeed—but we will endeavor you take your taste buds beyond the confines of the cardboard box.

Eat What You Know

We have all heard the news stories and seen the PSAs telling us to read the label and I’m not going to preach about trans-fats or caloric intake—we are in no shape to throw stones there. But we do encourage you to look at the labels and see if what you are about to eat passes one simple test: Do you know what the ingredients on the list are? If you don’t know what partially-hydrogenated crap-weasel extract is, don’t eat it. Simple as that. See our sidebar on Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce for a real eye-opener.

To eat what you know, it’s best to know where it came from and if possible who helped take that product from God’s creation to your table. Lucky for you, the Sioux Empire is located right in the nation’s breadbasket. Plenty of good stuff is being grown right around you.

Let’s start with the veggies. Although the Farmer’s Market has temporarily moved from its long time home at Falls Park to an industrial parking lot at 6th and Weber, the food is still as good. You might pay a little more for fresh asparagus at the Farmer’s Market than you would at Super Wal-Mart, but the hand that takes your cash is likely the same one that harvested what is about to become your supper. They will tell you where it was grown, when it was picked and whether or not it is organic. (It probably is organic, most of the vendors at the market have moved to organic growing methods.) And while you’re there, you may find something you didn’t expect—like fresh patty pan squash (your wife or girlfriend will love it), orange beets and purple carrots and Brussels sprouts still on the stalk.

And then there are the tomatoes. Red and green and purple, mottled in color and oddly shaped, these are not like anything the mega-store has ever seen. And they taste like no tomato you’ve ever picked up on a salad bar. When Spezia does their annual Tomato Fest, this is where they come for the star of the menu. Sliced with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt, fresh pepper and basil, your taste buds will be in heaven.

But if God had meant for man to be vegetarian, he wouldn’t have given us the backyard barbeque grill. So let’s talk meat. And when we say “talk meat”, we mean it. Sioux Falls is lucky to have a couple of fine meat markets, so if you’ve got questions about meat, don’t hesitate to ask a butcher. Whether you like the high-end Look’s or Cleaver’s or more blue-collar stores like Franklin Foods, those guys behind the counter know their stuff. Ask them questions and they will tell you all you need to know. And speaking of meat guys, we’ve got one local meat expert with an unexpected background. He used to be Mayor of our fair city—talk radio guru Rick Knobe is also our resident bison rancher. His product is available at The Co-op Natural Foods, just south of 33rd and Duluth, Taylor’s Pantry at 41st & Minnesota (and many other fine retailers). This is grass fed bison, raised right here in Minnehaha County. And it tastes like meat should taste. If you like to grill, you need to get to know Rick’s bison.

“These days a man makes you something and you never see his face.”
- Don Henley, “Sunset Grill”

Even if you’re a guy who knows his way around the kitchen, you probably want to go out every now and then. When you do, look for a place with an open kitchen. Maybe it’s just us, but we feel like we can trust the food that comes from an open kitchen. If we can make eye-contact with the person making the meal, we feel like we can bond and maybe they’ll put a little extra effort into making our dinner special.

Some of the chain restaurants understand this—Carino’s Italian, for example—from the right table you can see a dazzling show of fire and flair as your meal comes together. And Red Rossa takes the simple pizza and elevates it to art in a kitchen where you watch them deftly toss the dough, dress the pie and slide it gingerly into the wood-fired oven.

The Extra Point—Your Own Olive Tree

It’s all well and good to have a relationship with your vegetable grower and know the guy that raised your bison steak, but what about the olive oil you’re cooking with? Where did it come from? Unless you’re really paying attention, much of the olive oil on the supermarket shelf isn’t from Italy and some is really pretty poor in quality.

And with all of the agriculture around here, we still don’t know anyone growing olive trees in the upper Midwest. But thanks to the folks from nudo-italia.com, you can adopt an olive tree in a grove in Italy. For about $120, you will get the olive oil from your tree (actually a blend of 50 or so trees in your grove.) Our spring package arrived with 1.75 liters of golden Italian sunshine. In the fall, another shipment will arrive. Yes, we’re paying a premium for the olive oil, but we’re also supporting an olive grower and doing something for the environment. Plus it’s cool to say it’s our very own olive oil.

The point is this; if you are what you eat, you can’t know what you’re made of until you know what you’re eating. It may take you a few minutes longer find the best food—you’ll spend your Saturday mornings at the Farmer’s Market, take an autumn trip to an orchard and drive a few minutes out of your way to buy the good stuff, but most important, you will take a moment to think about what you’re eating and where it comes from. The good stuff will be harder to find. It will certainly cost a little more, but you are a man in your prime and if you’re not worth it, who is?

THE HEALTH FOOD STORE ENDORSEMENTS

OK – we’ve convinced you. You are going to change the way you eat. Please understand: this is not your fault, but you are going to pay for it.

If food was made the way it was 50 years ago, we would not be having this conversation. But greed, speed, and a moronic farm bill have created this monster of feeding people garbage, and it is up to you to stop it by not buying industrial food.

What: Natural Food Co-op
Where: 2504 S Duluth
When: Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Sunday Noon to 5:00 p.m.

Tucked away on a side street (just south of Breadsmith), the Co-op packs a lot of goodness into a small space. When you hear “natural food co-op” you may have images (like we did) of bulk-food bins and the granola-munching crowd, and you will certainly find that here. But if you’re looking for Israeli couscous or basmati rice, they have it. Looking for organic eggs and milk? Check. Grass fed ground beef? As far as we know, they are the only place in town that has it.

And most of their meats, poultry, eggs, and dairy products are labeled with the name of the producer. Where else can you buy food and know where it came from, down to the name of the folks who raised it? Certainly not the mega-stores. On the downside, you can’t buy motor oil and underpants at the same place you get your dinner, but really, do you want to?

What: Meadowsweet Natural Health Market
Where: 3801 W. 34th Street, Suite 109
When: Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Meadowsweet Natural Health Market has also been serving the community as a reliable source for natural and organic products, as well as providing foods for special dietary needs for over ten years.

Meadowsweet supports local farmers and suppliers who are committed to sustainable agriculture, fair trade, environmentally-friendly practices, and complementary medicines.

They also deliver, have a fantastic web site, and are as helpful and informed a group that you will find.

One more thing - while all of the Hy-Vee stores have added new healthy food sections, the new one on Minnesota Avenue has integrated the natural and organic products with their chemically and high fructose corn syrup enhanced brethren. It makes life a little easier, and they are doing a good job of supplying options. Just be careful to read the labels — food marketing is a big money business.

More Options - Farmer’s Markets

There are three farmer’s markets where you can meet the people who’ve got the goods.

• Farmer’s Market in the parking lot at the 6th and Weber , downtown Sioux Falls, open Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Farmer’s Market in the parking lot at the 8th and Railroad center in downtown Sioux Falls, open Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

• Open Air Market At Borrowed Bucks Roadhouse, 41st & Western
Wednesdays & Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.